Thursday

Nov 5, 2015 at 5:00 PM

Just over 16 percent of Bluffton's registered voters cast ballots in this year's municipal election, according to final figures released Thursday by the Beaufort County Board of Elections and Voter Registration.

With the mayor's seat and two other Town Council seats up for grabs, that was an increase from the 9.75 percent showing in 2013 when there was only a council race.

Throughout the campaign season this year, several of the candidates have lamented on poor voter turnout in previous elections.

At a pair of public forums last month, the candidates varied on how to best address the issue. Several suggested expanding council from five to seven members, while council challenger Dan Wood advocated for the town to be split into wards, which he said would provide greater representation.

Mayoral challenger and Beaufort County Councilwoman Cynthia Bensch led calls for the town to televise and record its council and some committee meetings through the County Channel, which televises and makes available online county committee, school board, Hilton Head Island Town Council and other governmental meetings.

Meanwhile, Spears suggested the town switch to general election years, where voter turnout is typically higher. Town Council would have to approve such a change.

Sulka carried 11 of 12 precincts over Bensch and also handily won the absentee vote, according to individual precinct totals also released Thursday.

In the eight-person council race, political newcomer Wood led the pack with 750 votes (23 percent) and was followed by incumbent Councilman Ted Huffman with 728 (22 percent) and challenger Harry Lutz with 555 (17 percent).

Wood won six of 12 precincts. Huffman won just one, but had several second-place finishes to help his cause.

Lutz was aided by a strong, victorious showing in precinct 4D to earn a spot in the runoff. He collected 339 of his 555 votes in the precinct which includes his neighborhood, Hampton Hall. That was enough to tip the scale in Lutz's favor over Brown, who finished with just 27 votes in the precinct, and Spears, who had 53.

Voter confusion

Several residents showed up to polling locations Tuesday, but were surprised to learn they didn't live in the town limits and, therefore, weren't eligible to vote in the election.

While the residents have Bluffton addresses, their neighborhoods have not been annexed into the town. The town has annexed more than 50 square miles since 1999, but under state law, properties can only be annexed in at the request of their owners and not by council.

That has created several pockets throughout town, known as "doughnut holes," that are considered unincorporated Beaufort County.

Spears, who was critical of the law at a candidate forum on Oct. 21, said Tuesday afternoon council should be more proactive on the issue.

"The borders are completely absurd," Spears said. "(The people in the doughnut holes) are residents of this town, whether they are in the borders or not, and they need to have their voices heard."

The town posted an interactive tool to its website Thursday morning to help residents determine whether or not they live in the town limits ahead of the runoff.

At the top right of the website is a link titled "Do I live in the town of Bluffton?"

On the interactive map, residents can type in or click on their address, and an information box will appear. Those whose properties have "Bluffton" listed in the "Town" category are eligible to vote, while those whose properties are listed "County" cannot.